Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne has commissioned of a compact gasification pilot plant in Illinois; the pilot plant is the first step toward global commercialization of the technology. (Earlier post.)

Key design features of the compact gasification system. Click to enlarge.

The commissioning was held at the Gas Technology Institute in Des Plaines, Ill., where the pilot plant for the compact gasifier is located. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne teamed with ExxonMobil Research and Engineering (EMRE), Zero Emission Energy Plants, Ltd. (ZEEP), the Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI) and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to develop and commercialize compact gasification, a higher efficiency and lower cost alternative to current gasification systems.

The Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne gasifier provides a 90 percent decrease in size compared to competing systems, thereby enabling higher efficiency, and as much as a 25 percent reduction in cost with enhanced reliability.

—Jim Maser, president, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne

The capital cost to build a commercial-scale compact gasification plant using Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne’s technology is estimated to be 20% less than conventional gasification plants. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne’s compact gasifier is also expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 10% compared to standard gasification technologies. EMRE is sharing development cost and collaborating with Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne to develop, demonstrate and license the technology.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a United Technologies company.

Resources

• Compact Gasification System Development Status (Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne)